Mexico National Team Injuries: Every Player Missing for Last World Cup Warmup

The Mexico national team returns to action with high-caliber international friendlies against Portugal and Belgium, but if the daunting quality of its opponents wasn’t enough, El Tri will be without 10 players that would’ve likely featured in the March roster were it not for injuries.

El Tri is immersed in a worrying injury crisis that has surfaced at the worst possible time. Javier Aguirre had to get creative when selecting his roster for the March friendlies, and Mexico will be far from full strength in the pair of games against two top-10 teams in the FIFA rankings.

Six players that were on the pitch when Mexico defeated the U.S. men’s national team in last summer’s Gold Cup final are unavailable through injury. Aguirre recognized that Mexico’s fitness issues are a “setback,” having previously stated he wanted to have 90% of the World Cup roster ready for the March friendlies.

Aguirre remains optimistic that a number of El Tri’s injured talents will be ready in time for the summer, but against Portugal and Belgium, Mexico will have to compete with a makeshift roster.

Here are the 10 injured Mexico players that won’t feature during the March international friendlies against Portugal and Belgium.

Edson Álvarez

Edson Alvarez — Mexico’s captain has had a nightmare start of the year. | Omar Vega/Getty Images

Issue: Ankle injury
Potential return date: Mid-April 2026

Mexico captain Edson Álvarez tried to play through an ankle injury suffered in early December, but after being in and out of treatment to start the year, he underwent surgery on Feb. 17 to fix the nagging issue for good.

Fortunately for El Tri, national team president Duilio Davino recently revealed “El Machín” should return to training with Fenerbahçe following the international break. Álvarez will now look to have a strong end of the season to rediscover his best before the World Cup.

Santiago Gimenez

Issue: Ankle injury
Potential return date: March 2026

It’s been a nightmare season for Santiago Gimenez, who was immersed in a scoring drought before an ankle injury saw him miss nearly five months of the campaign. Sidelined since late October, “El Bebote” underwent surgery in December after conservative treatment failed to fix the nagging issue.

The good news is that the striker returned to action for AC Milan in their final game before the international break. Gimenez played 13 minutes in his return from injury, but given the lengthy absence, both Milan and Mexico agreed to be cautious and he wasn’t included in Aguirre’s March roster.

Still, the 24-year-old has plenty of time to be fully match fit in time for the World Cup.

Gilberto Mora

Issue: Groin injury (Pubalgia)
Potential return date: Mid-April 2026

Mexican wonderkid Gilberto Mora was El Tri’s undisputed breakout star of 2025, becoming the main source of hope for the nation ahead of the World Cup.

But the 17-year-old has been sidelined since mid-January with Pubalgia, a nasty groin injury that can become chronic if not treated carefully and one that’s affected young talents such as Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams this season.

Club Tijuana have been extremely cautious with the teenager’s recovery and manager Sebastián Abreu has repeatedly stated that having Mora ready for the World Cup is the main priority.

Mora gave an encouraging update recently as he finally returned to training on the pitch, and Davino himself also confirmed the young gem should be back in action before the end of the Liga MX regular season.

Luis Romo

Issue: Hamstring injury
Potential return date: Late-April 2026

Romo’s sensational end of 2025 continued into the new year, as the versatile midfield hybrid had a stellar start of the Liga MX Clausura 2026 season with Chivas until a hamstring injury halted his positive momentum in early February.

The 28-year-old returned later that month but only aggravated the issue and has been sidelined since. Still, all signs point towards him returning to action soon after the break, on a mission to pick up where he left off prior to the injury.

César Huerta

Cesar Huerta — César Huerta’s World Cup dreams are all but over. | Omar Vega/Getty Images

Issue: Groin injury (Pubalgia)
Potential return date: May 2026

César Huerta was one of the wingers Aguirre utilized the most during the infancy of his tenure, but the energetic attacker has been sidelined since October with Pubalgia, and he recently had to undergo groin surgery for the second time.

Aguirre and Co. hoped “El Chino” would be ready for the March camp, but Belgian side Anderlecht confirmed that the winger suffered a setback in his recovery and had to go under the knife for the second time in four months with the same issue.

Reports indicate that Huerta could be back in May, but time is running out for the 25-year-old to make his World Cup case.

Luis Chávez

Issue: Knee Injury
Potential return date: Mid-April 2026

Mexico’s injury crisis started last summer when, midway through the 2025 Gold Cup, midfielder Luis Chavez suffered a torn ACL that has kept him out of action since.

The road to recovery has been long and tenuous for El Tri’s best player of the 2022 World Cup, but Chávez was part of Dinamo Moscow’s squad in their most recent game, meaning there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

The left-footed midfielder could slowly return to action in April and although his chances of making the World Cup roster are slim to none, Aguirre has always been a fan of his profile and not all hope is lost for him.

Rodrigo Huescas

Issue: Knee Injury
Potential return date: May-June 2026

Just when Rodrigo Huescas appeared to be grabbing hold of the starting right back role with El Tri, he suffered a similar fate to Chávez, tearing his ACL in early October during a Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen.

Although Huescas still hasn’t ruled out a possible return to the pitch prior to the end of the season, it’s extremely hard to envision the 22-year-old being ready in time to represent Mexico in the summer.

Jesús Orozco

Issue: Ankle injury
Potential return date: June–July 2026

Cruz Azul center back Jesús Orozco looked certain to be Johan Vásquez’s backup in the World Cup as the only other left-footed center back Aguirre included in El Tri’s final four rosters of 2025.

But the towering defender suffered a gruesome injury in early December, dislocating his ankle and requiring surgery to also fix tendon and ligament damage. Orozco was given a five-to-six-month recovery timeline, but Aguirre has already confirmed he won’t be ready in time for the World Cup.

Marcel Ruiz

Issue: Knee Injury
Potential return date: Early 2027

Perhaps the most delicate injury absence El Tri will have to overcome is midfielder Marcel Ruiz, who has already been ruled out of the World Cup after tearing his ACL just two weeks before the March international action.

Ruiz had become the best midfielder in Liga MX over the past year and had featured in every single game Mexico had played since the 2025 Gold Cup. Aguirre will have to find a solution given the Toluca star was a guaranteed starter come the summer spectacle.

Luis Malagón

Issue: Achilles tendon injury
Potential return date: Early 2027

Goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón has also been ruled out of the 2026 World Cup after he ruptured his Achilles tendon earlier in March.

The Club América shot-stopper was Mexico’s starter for the majority of 2025. Although Raúl Rangel had usurped the No. 1 role from him in recent camps, their individual battle was still ongoing and Malagón was a lock to make the World Cup roster as a backup at worst.

Now, Malagón’s injury has opened the door for legendary Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to feature in a record breaking sixth World Cup.